§ 70-7A. Landscape buffers
(a) Street buffer. In all zoning districts, a 20 foot landscape edge or buffer must be provided along the entire length of the perimeter of a lot or subdivision where the perimeter is adjacent to a public or private street, exclusive of driveways and alleys. The paved and unpaved portion of any city right-of-way shall not be included in this 20 foot buffer.
(b) Zoning district buffer. Whenever a non-residential use, mobile-home use, or multi-family use is adjacent to property used or zoned for single family residential purposes, the more intensive land use shall provide a landscaped area edge of at least ten feet in width along the common property line.
(c) Subdivision entryways.
(1) Entryways into and exits from subdivisions shall be landscaped. Both sides of streets, whether public or private, which serve as a means of ingress or egress from residential subdivisions that consist of at least ten lots shall be landscaped on both sides of the entry or exit way.
(2) Each landscape area shall consist of not less than 25 feet of frontage along the entry and exit way and 25 feet of frontage along the adjacent street, and shall have a depth of at least 20 feet.
(3) Subdivision entryway landscaping shall be designed so as to avoid an impairment of visibility of operators of motor vehicles entering and exiting the subdivision when the plant materials reach full maturity.
(4) The developer and/or property owners of residential subdivisions that consist of ten or more lots shall have a homeowners' association that shall be responsible for the perpetual maintenance and upkeep of all landscape areas.
(d) Plant materials.
(1) Landscape buffers and landscaped areas of subdivision entryways shall be planted with at least one shade tree (minimum four inches in caliper measured at four feet above natural grade and 16 feet in height at time of planting) for each 20 linear feet or portion thereof of adjacent exposure.
(2) When required to be planted, tree types should include trees identified in the "approved replacement tree list" of the city's Tree Preservation Code. Landscape buffers and areas shall also consist of shrubs, ornamental trees, ground cover, or sod. All plant materials shall conform to the requirements described in the most current edition of "American Standards for Nursery Stock" published by the American Association of Nurserymen.
(3) No tree may be planted closer than five feet of the paved portion of any impermeable surface.
(4) No plant material shall be planted or located in such a way that, at full maturity, the plant material may obstruct or impair the view of operators of motor vehicles on any public or private street or interfere with the use and maintenance of utility fixtures or equipment.
(5) In the event that any plant materials shall die or be removed or destroyed within a period of one year after planting, the developer, property owner or homeowners' association shall replace the plant material with similar or suitable plantings.
(e) Waivers by city council.
(1) The city council may reduce the width of the required landscape buffer when the reduction is required for public improvements.
(2) The city council may waive or modify any of the requirements of this section upon application by the developer, property owner or homeowners' association, following recommendation by the planning and zoning commission, when deemed to be in the best interests of the public health, safety, morals or general welfare.
(f) Landscape plans.
(1) Prior to or simultaneously with the submission of an application for approval of a site plan or preliminary plan, including replats of existing lots and subdivisions, a landscape plan must also be submitted.
(2) The landscape plan must show the location, type and species of all plants and plant materials and must affirmatively show compliance with the requirements of this section.
(3) Landscape plans shall make provisions for perpetual maintenance by the developer, property owner or homeowners' association
(g) Lot coverage for nonresidential property. For non-residential and multifamily property, at least 15 percent of the gross lot or tract (exclusive of rights-of-way) shall be maintained as a landscaped area. All screening, parking perimeter, and interior parking landscaping shall be included in the overall 15 percent of gross site landscaping. No parking lot tree island may be less than ten feet wide in any dimension and shall not contain less than 100 square feet of continuous permeable land